Gearing for washing-machines.



No. 877,106. PATEN-TBD JAN. 21, 1908.

' H. H. MUNSON. GEARING FOR WASHING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 27, 1905 EEEEEEEEE- /P minimal Wm] lllllllllllfi1m M W ma l/ W.

HUGH MUNSON, OF TRUBO, IOWA.

GEARIN G FOR WASHING-MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 21, 1908.

Application filed September 27. 1905. $erial No. 280.348.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HUGH H. MUNSON, a citizen of the United States,residing at Truro, in the county of Madison and State of Iowa, haveinvented a certain new and useful Gearing for Washing-Machines, of whichthe following is a specification.

The objects of my invention are to provide a light running gearing forwashing machines of simple, durable and inexpensive construction whichcan be readily attached to the cover of any of the ordinary makes ofwashing machines and which is so constructed as to impart areciprocating motion to the agitator from a handle operating in ahorizontal plane.

A further object is to provide a sprocket wheel in the gearing which isdirectly operated through a sprocket chain which is reciprocated by thehandle.

My invention consists in certain details in the construction,arrangement and combination of the various parts of the device, wherebythe objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully setforth, pointed out in my claims and illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which Figure 1 is a rear elevation of the washing machinewith the rear upper portion of it broken away to show the agitator. Fig.2 is a plan view of the washing machine with my gearing attached to it.Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the gearing and the cover of a washingmachine, taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 is a detail view ofthe roller bearing in which the agitator shaft operates.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, I have used the referencenumeral 10 to indicate the tub of the washing machine which is mountedon the legs 11. Hinged to the upper portion of the washing machine is acover 12 constructed in the ordinary way. Extending through the centralportion of the cover is an opening 13. Attached to the upper portion ofthe cover is a frame preferably cast in a single piece which comprises aflat plate 14 from which the bearing 15 downwardly extends, entering theopening 13, which, together with the screws passing through the frameinto the cover, maintain the gearing in position relative .to the cover.These screws 1 have designated by the numeral 16. Extending upwardlyfrom one end of the plate 14 is a curved roller bearing support 17having an opening 18 extending through it, which opening issubstantially in nal diameter line with the opening 13. Outside andabove the opening 13 is a roller bearing groove 19 designed to admit aseries of rollers 20 therein. Extending through the openings 13 and 18is the agitator shaft 21 having the agitator 22 detachably connectedwith its lowerend. The upper end of the agitatorshaft 21 is screwthreaded and a nut 23 is screwed to it to retain the rollers 20 in theroller bearing groove 19, as shown clearly in Fig.3 of the drawings.

Mounted on the shaft 13 in such a way that the lower surface of its hubengages the upper surface of the plate 14 is a sprocket wheel 24, whichsprocket wheel has a longer longitudithan a cross diameter and is verynearly elliptical. Extending upwardly from the opposite end of the plate14 from the curved roller bearing support '17 is a post 25 on which ismounted a sprocket chain holder having the two arms 26 and 27 therein.At the outer end of the arm 26 is a -hook 28, and at the outer end ofthe arm 27 is the hook 29. There is a nut 30 designed to be screwed onthe upper screw threadedportion of the post 25 designed to maintain thesprocket chain holder in position on the post. Secured to the rearcentral portion of the sprocket chain holder by means of a thumb screw31 is a handle 32 by which the gearing is operated. Connecting the hook28 and 29 on the sprocket chain holder is a sprocket chain 33 whichconstantly engages sprocket wheel 24 which is away from the post 25 asthe machine is operated. I

In practical operation and assuming that the device is set up for use asabove described, and that the handle is oscillated, the s rocket chainwill be drawn to the right and eft and cause the sprocket wheel to bereciprocated and also cause a reciprocation of the agitator. On accountof the construction of the sprocket wheel 24, the sprocket chain will beconstantly held taut as it is operated, and as this wheel issubstantially elliptical in that portion of the shape, the wheel willhave the longest leverv grasped i Q I 877,106

Having thus described my invention, What 2. A gearing for Washingmachines, com- I claim and desire to secure by Letters prising a shaft,a substantially elliptical Patent of the United States, therefore issprocket Wheel secured to the shaft, a pivoted 15 1. A gearing forWashing machines, comsprocket chain holder adjacent to the sprocket 5prising a shaft, a substantially elliptical chain,a sprocket chainconnected with the sprocketwheel secured to the shaft, apivoted holderand in engagement With one side of sprocket chain holder adjacent to thesprocket the sprocket Wheel, and a handle detachably chain, a sprocketchain connected with the connected With the sprocket chain holder.holder and in engagement With one side of HUGH H. MUNSON. 10 thesprocket Wheel, and means connected Witnesses:

With the sprocket chain holder for oscillat- G/H. QUEEN, ing it. E. E.KALE.

